Today's reminder: don't confuse a good decision with a good result.

Sometimes you'll make the correct play and still lose the hand. Other times, you'll make a terrible call and get rewarded. In poker, short-term outcomes can be misleading.

One habit that's helped my game is reviewing big hands based on the information I had at the time, not the river card I eventually saw. Focusing on decision quality instead of results keeps tilt under control and leads to better long-term improvement.

What's one hand you've played recently where you made the right decision but didn't get the result you wanted?

Upendra Nath said:

What's one hand you've played recently where you made the right decision but didn't get the result you wanted?

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Pft. Name one.

Lost AK to K8 today, all in preflop

A good decision does not always lead to a good result.Conducting risk analysis in poker before making a decision is more useful and effective than risk analysis after making a decision.

Absolutely. You can make the correct play and still lose, just like you can make a terrible play and get rewarded. Focusing on the quality of your decisions instead of short-term results is one of the biggest mindset shifts in poker.

Yeah I think we should strive to make the best decisions possible given the circumstances at that particular moment. That part of poker is under our control. What happens afterwards is not in our control. When I get busted from a tournament now I focus on things that I did right and the things I did wrong to learn for the next one, it’s all a learning game. I used to get bummed out getting busted but if I played my A game and get busted I don’t feel bad at all, it’s just the nature and part of the game. This game is a mix of skill and luck and we really need both to win.